Considering a Gift Free Christmas

You've spent an entire year getting your finances in order. You've paid down your debt and gotten a handle on your finances. Now that's it's Christmas, you are about to set yourself back several months. Is that really the smart thing to do?

You don't have to be a Scrooge to swear off buying gifts for Christmas. You just have to realize that it is not financially smart to overspend on gift giving. If it is not in your budget to spend thousands on gifts for people who won't even remember what you purchased them a year later, it is probably best not spend the money.

There is an article on Oprah.com called A Gift Free Christmas. The writers speaks of the "experiment" where she had her first gift free Christmas, and the results that caused her to never look back. She wrote of having more meaningful Christmas experiences thereafter. They get a greater satisfaction of giving gifts to charities and giving home made jams to neighbors.

It's hard to imagine not giving anything at all to my kids and husband for Christmas, but honestly it has been years since I have gone out of my way to give gifts to anyone who lives outside of my home. I will make a basket of home made ornaments, trinkets, or backed goods to give to anyone who wants some, but outside of that, I'm just not a big gift giver. Still, seeing that it would require full family buy-in, I don't see myself having a gift free Christmas this year or probably even next year.

You have to admit though that the idea is seductive. While I never, ever go into debt at Christmas time, I do spend enough in December to leave me eating soup all of January. Sure January also doubles as the month I am always on a diet, but it doesn't hurt that I don't have money for anything but the ingredients for chicken noodle soup.

Perhaps one year we will be mature enough to forgo tradition and just have a relaxing gift-free Christmas. I dream about being able to give my kids what they need when they need it and not horde the big ticket items to pose as Christmas gifts. I think about the fun we could have spending the money on experiences and not on stuff. I even think about how much money I could save if I purchased the same items in January on clearance instead of at November Christmas sales.

While I am not having a gift free Christmas this year, I will be exercising my frugal muscles and having a Christmas that is light on gifts. My plan is to buy one gift for each child and one for my husband. I have a gift certificate that I plan to spend on my mother in law, and I am currently mulling over whether I will make oatmeal cookies or bath salts to give to everyone else. I expect my husband will do pretty much the same, minus the Christmas baking or crafts.